Madina Maternity Hospital in Niamey hosted yesterday the launching ceremony of the World AIDS Day, coupled with a voluntary HIV testing campaign, under the sponsorship of First Lady Hadjia Aissata Issoufou, president of the foundation Guri Better Life. The theme chosen for this edition (of December 2019) is: “community organizations make the difference”. This year, in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health and the Chinese Embassy, the Guri Better Life foundation planned, like the previous edition, the screening campaign. The objective being to accelerate the march of Niger towards the elimination of AIDS in 2030, (through the three 90 horizons 2020 which aims: 90% of PLWHIV know their status, 90% of these people receive treatment and 90% of these people on ART have a suppressed or undetectable viral load), the campaign will run from January 9 to 18, 2020, in Niamey in 20 health centers.
The ceremony took place in the presence of the Minister of Public Health, the Minister for the Advancement of Women and Child Protection, the Minister Spokesperson for the Government, the Ambassador of China, the Country Director of UNAIDS and several personalities.
AIDS in Niger in figures
“In Niger, since the discovery of the first case of AIDS in 1987, significant efforts have been made by the government and its partners to prevent this disease and provide continuous care to people infected and affected by HIV.”
According to the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Idi Illiassou Mainassara in 2018, the number of people living with HIV was around 36,000. HIV prevalence in the general population has stabilized at 0.4% since 2012. The estimated number of new virus infections has been reduced by 70% in 6 years (from 6,000 cases in 2012 to 1,700 in 2018). From a single site (Niamey National Hospital) for the treatment of the disease in 2003, Niger now has 110 sites where around 20,000 people are on ARV treatment. The number of annual AIDS deaths has been reduced by 69% (from 4,000 in 2012 to 1,200 in 2018). However, despite these important efforts, major challenges remain and call for everyone’s contribution to meet them, said the Minister. These include, among other things: the mother-to-child transmission rate of HIV which was 12.31% in 2018; the high concentration of prevalence among key populations which was 16.6% among female sex workers in 2015; from the low HIV testing rate among populations at 21% for women and 7% for men.
Community organizations’ efforts encouraged
Through the theme chosen from the 2019 edition that Niger is celebrating today, January 9, 2020, “community organizations make the difference”, the role of community actors is engaged and encouraged at the forefront of the response to AIDS. “They are the spearhead for awareness and screening among key populations and other vulnerable populations who remain the most exposed subgroups,” said Minister of Public Health, Dr. Idi Illiassou Mainassara.
“On this World AIDS Day and to face up to the challenges, effective involvement of communities in the response to HIV / AIDS is essential because communities form an essential link in a modern health system and their work is the backbone of the HIV response, ”said UNAIDS Country Director Dr El Hadj Abdallahi FAH. The SNU through UNAIDS agreed, then, to end AIDS as a threat to public health by 2030. This is why, he explains, the organization works with countries to respect the commitments, which are enshrined in the 2016 United Nations Political Declaration on the Fight against AIDS. In particular, we are talking about the implementation of its accelerated strategy 90-90-90 by 2020 which aims: 90 % of people living with HIV know their status, 90% of these people receive treatment and 90% of these people on ART have a suppressed or undetectable viral load. These objectives should therefore be reached this year 2020. And in Niger, out of 36,000 PLWHIV, only 72% know their HIV status, 54% are on ARV treatment and 45% have a suppressed viral load. and already, UNAIDS has, reminds director Pi, supported Niger to assess the contributions of community organizations in the implementation of the Acceleration of Screening, Antiretroviral Treatment and Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission Plan in 2019 .
Dr El Hadj Abdallahi FAH reaffirmed the determination of the United Nations System to support the Government of Niger for an acceleration of the response to HIV.
Call of the godmother of the fight against AIDS
This campaign will therefore increase the screening rate against discrimination and stigma, to accelerate Niger’s march towards the elimination of AIDS in 2030, in accordance with the SDGs. In her appeal which dedicated the launch of the campaign, the godmother of the fight against AIDS and viral hepatitis in Niger, president of the Guri Vie Meilleure foundation, the first lady Hadjia Aissata Issoufou addresses all the actors involved in the fight against the disease, namely: the public sector, civil society, private sector, TFP. Indeed, the campaign’s first lady godmother calls for strong mobilization, leaving no one behind for the benefit of the HIV prevention, treatment and support care offer. The barrier should then be removed, reducing access by young people (including adolescents) to sexual and reproductive health services. The president of the Guri Vie Meilleure foundation also calls for promoting the human rights of people living with HIV and for strengthening and consolidating the community system, national networks and civil society intervening in the response to HIV. This also requires funding contributions for the implementation of initiatives.
“Our country continues to make various efforts to support the fight against AIDS. Although the prevalence of AIDS remains at 0.4% at the population level, the persistence of new infections challenges us. Furthermore, First Lady Hadjia Aissata Issoufou rightly welcomed the prompt efforts of the People’s Republic of China, represented at this ceremony by its ambassador to Niger. According to her, with the collaboration of her sister first lady of China, it is an invaluable support which brings the People’s Republic of China within the framework of activities to fight against AIDS.
Mahamane Chékaré Ismaël
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